Difficulty urinating: What helps with urination reluctance?

I also am experiencing increasing frequency after 4 years of radiation , Lupron and casadex .
I remain in recovery with PSA readings of .07 .... could I be experiencing urethral strictures as an after affect of radiation. Seeing urologist to determine next steps ... responses appreciated...

I wish you both good luck - still not pissing well after 12 years here.

Gleason 9; GG5 with mets here, so no surgery. ADT/ARSI and IMRT for treatment. No improvement in urinary retention. In my case it's not reluctance, the valve is closed. Been using catheters since last April. There have been suggestions for correction, however, no one has guaranteed 100% continence afterward. I'm not willing to take a chance, however slight, on moving from 100% continent to maybe not. Tried drugs (Flomax, etc.) without success. I'm so used to intermittent catheterization at this point that it's just part of life now and certainly better than pads or diapers. Best wishes for an acceptable solution.

The flow issues you are having are not common.

I’m not a doctor so I can’t say for sure if this will help, but Flomax is usually used when somebody has problems with slow flow. Ask your doctor about this.

@mjp0512 I’ve been on a catheter since mid November. No surgery at age 77 with other health problems. Been on Orgovyx for almost a year and it’s keeping me alive so far. I know what you’re going through. Good luck and I hope things turn out well for you.

@taeguab Hey...thanks for the good wishes. Right back at you! Yea, I've been on Orgovyx too...since June. Not crazy about the side effects but they beat the alternative.

@mjp0512 Could you explain how you do this many times per day? I have always been catheterized by someone else either before/after a procedure - and usually with lidocaine gel.
Do you use this? I know it must be done, but there’s something about holding a slim tube in my hand and thinking, “OK, now slide this up my pecker until I reach the bladder”.
How the hell do you do it??😬Thanks,
Phil

@heavyphil Ok...I just nozzle-nosed coffee all over my keyboard.🤣🤣🤣
Not sure what you want to know. You already perfectly described it.

“OK, now slide this up my pecker until I reach the bladder” ...yep, that's pretty much it and no, no lidocaine... and when flow stops, pull it back out. I use hydrophilic catheters (so self-lubing). It took about a day to get used to it and maybe 3 days to get over it. It's really no big deal at all. Zero pain, maybe slight pressure at the sphincter but usually not. Biggest deal is clean hands. UTI's are no bueno. (Although you never really touch the tube that's inserted. There's a sleeve on it.)

@mjp0512 I was REALLY hoping that you were going reveal some secret advice or method, but it’s really ‘here goes nothin’…damn, I’m sweating just thinking about it.
The first time must have been like amputating a foot caught in a bear trap or something…thanks for sharing!!😳

@mjp0512 Sounds very familiar. At 74 yrs I developed hydronephrosis (urine backing up into the kidney) in June, 2022, which led to a PC diagnosis. Tumor was out of the capsule and into surrounding lymph nodes and a spot on RT iliac, so no surgery or proton. IMRT, SBRT and ADT. The foley catheter that was inserted to decompress the hydronephrosis was left in (change every 4 weeks) during radiation and upon completion I tried intermittent catheterization. That was a no-go from the get-go. The first day I went through seven (7) catheters in about 14 hours and went back to the Uro office to have the foley put back in. Dr. did a cysto and said my bladder had shrunk, probably from the radiation. I will have this foley-friend for the duration. It's no big deal as long as great care is given to cleanliness. The plus side is I never have to get up at night to pee! 🙂